A few months ago, Justice Nuagbe, a.k.a Ushbebe, got married at a well-attended ceremony. In this interview with OVWE MEDEME, the young broadcaster, actor and humorist talks about the happy moments in his life and other interesting experiences. Excerpts:
HOW did your journey into comedy, acting and broadcasting start?
I won’t say it started one day; rather, I would say it is what I am trained to do. Basically, as a theatre artiste, I should be able to diversify into the different genres that have to do with my career line. Acting, for me, is something I have always wanted to do; comedy is something I do on a regular basis, but I studied a bit of radio presentation in the university. Professionally, it is something I only got to know about some two years ago. I am enjoying it very well now with Naija FM. Basically, it is a whole lot of verified sectors for me. Maybe when I venture into politics, which is where everybody wants to be, I will also be verified there.
But are you seriously considering going into politics?
What for? Of course, I will go into politics when politicians start giving me money. We are all politicians. When your wife asks you to do something or when your girlfriend asks you to buy her something and you dodge, that is politics. In the same vein, when we ask the government for our basic necessities, they dodge. So, it is the same politics and we all play it. Frankly, I will not be going into politics.
Would I be right to say that you sacrificed your comedy career for the life of an On-air personality (OAP)?
That is not true! If you know the number of jobs I do as a stand-up comedian, you will be shocked. You could say I am not on every comedy show as I used to be. But that is because I am now more of a corporate comedian than a street comedian – apology to anybody who feels offended. Besides, being a comedian comes in different forms. If I am not standing up, I am sitting down to do comedy. There is what we call situational comedy; there is stand-up comedy and radio comedy, which is what I do every day. So, it is wrong to say my career as a comedian is on the decline. Besides, my comedy show is coming up in May. That is to tell you that I am still a stand-up guy.
What is it about?
My TV show is called the Chronicles of Ushbebe and it airs on Ben TV UK as well as some other cable stations. Every day, I do stand-up comedy on it. What we are trying to do right now is to take the show from TV to stage, so it is called the Chronicles of Ushbebe Live. It is happening at the MUSON Centre, so it will give people a chance to enjoy all the different parts of me. There will be a stage drama, music and a whole lot of other stuff.
What is the life of an entertainer like?
Apart from the fact that people would submit to knowing you when they see you on the road or probably want to snap pictures when they see you on the road, the life of an entertainer is a bit different from the regular life. This is because you are on your feet trying to stay relevant, while doing your business. For some people, being relevant is all about snapping nude pictures of themselves and posting them on the Internet.
For some others, it is having ‘beef’ with their fellow artistes. However, for some of us, it is all about doing good jobs, every day, so we are either standing up to work or we are on the road looking for partners to help grow the business. It is a whole lot of stuff. For an entertainer, I feel it is irregular because you have to be at odd places and you have to do a lot of explanation to your spouse. That is why if you are not married to somebody who understands your business, you won’t have a smooth sail. But if your partner understands the nature of your business, it helps you to build a bigger brand. It goes without saying that if you are happy at home, it helps your job outside. If anybody tells you that entertainers are the same with every other person, the person is lying.
As a married man, doesn’t your job schedule affect your home?
We try to create a balance because it is only good for you not to put it in the face of your spouse that you are an entertainer. Some people do it a lot. You need to reach an agreement. Make them know beforehand, even if it is impromptu. Women like it when you call them up to say you will be running late because of some specific reasons. That is how it is for the business. So, it is a general thing to try to first understand this before you expect your spouse to understand the business that you do. Another thing is if your spouse is in love with what you do, it is not a problem. But if your spouse has a problem with what you do, it is a big problem. So, if you happen to come home late, she will want to complain. But when she understands that it is what pays the bills, even if she is working, she will put herself in your shoes. If she sees your comedy and it makes her laugh, she needs you to do more of that. Go home and make her laugh. Don’t go home and vent your frustrations on your spouse. That is why balance is key.
How did you meet her?
I met my wife sometime in 2009. She is a friend to Elenu’s wife.
Was it an instant attraction?
I liked her at first sight, but she was busy with someone else then. I didn’t expect her to leave her relationship to start dating me because I am a funny guy. She just liked me as a friend, so I waited until she was free.
You didn’t have to kill the other guy, did you?
No, the guy has a move (laughs). We don’t kill. I believe that what is yours is yours. We only waited for the right time to do it and it came.
A few months into your marriage, how would you describe life as a married man compared to when you were single?
My brother, it is not funny! The truth is that marriage is interesting. It is sweet on one hand because now you are legally allowed to do your thing. On the other hand, you now need to size up who comes around and how they come and all that. You need to run things through your wife before you do them. But before now, you were someone who used to be on your own and used to have friends come around. Those are the things you need to adjust. These first few months are adjusting periods for both of us because we never lived together until we got married. Our church will not allow that.
So, which will you prefer: the life of a bachelor or that of a married man?
I still prefer being married because it keeps you focused and makes you more organised. As a bachelor, you don’t care about things. I don’t think there are bachelors that know how to manage their lives. When a wife comes into your house, it becomes a home. Then, you will know how dirty you used to be.
Which of all your creative endeavours fetch you more money: radio, stand-up comedy or TV?
Stand-up comedy or MC pays more because I like to refer to it as pay-as-you go. You don’t have to wait for invoice to clear! Once you deliver the jokes, you are done.
